Twenty five years ago when I was in the development phase of starting a new charity (Kingscare), the general mood among Christians was that helping people at a practical level, though fundamentally ‘a good thing’, was thought to be of secondary importance to preaching the Gospel and getting people ‘saved”. It was an ‘either/or’ thing.
The Gospel was seen as purely spiritual, and giving people ‘a ticket to heaven’ was sometimes seen as far more important than feeding the hungry or setting slaves free from people who would exploit them. But those days are ending and Christians are seeing that we need to follow the teachings of Jesus, not just see him as Saviour.
The good news of the gospel is for everyone, and for the whole person. Jesus came so that we could have life, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. We do not have to choose between a Jesus who died for our sins, and a Jesus who “went around doing good” (Acts 10:38). It is not ‘either/or’ but ‘both/and’. Pitting the spiritual against the physical and practical is a false dichotomy. Continue reading “Good news for the poor”
People care deeply about issues of justice, such as sexual exploitation of children, modern slavery, education for all, corruption, unfair trade etc.
I was asked recently to speak at one of a series of meetings with a general theme of “War and Peace”. This article is an expansion of my notes.
God loves justice, and he longs to see a world where there is justice for all. Where the rich and powerful do not exploit the poor and powerless. Where the vulnerable, widows, orphans, disabled and mentally challenged receive fair treatment from the rest of humanity.
What can be done about the broken justice systems around the world, particularly those in developing countries? We need first to understand the history of those countries.
Compassion and Justice 